Today's other stories in brief
Lampard happy with Ancelotti
CHELSEA midfielder Frank Lampard said he was delighted with the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as Chelsea’s new manager.
Speaking ahead of England’s World Cup qualifier in Kazakhstan, Lampard said he and his Chelsea team-mates in the England squad, John Terry and Ashley Cole, were very excited about the clubs future under the 49-year-old Italian who is moving to London from AC Milan.
“Everything that has come back about him has been completely positive, as a man and as a manager,” Lampard said.
“In the last two years we’ve been very close to things but not quite winning them. We’ve got a very strong group at Chelsea anyway. I dont want to go into individuals but to see us linked with names and the quality of player, the intention seems there from Chelsea and from the manager, he added.
Middle East group buy Notts County
NOTTS COUNTY, the world’s oldest football league club, confirmed yesterday a Middle East consortium was taking them over in a multi-million pound deal.
Notts, formed in 1862 but languishing in the lower reaches of the English League for many years, said on their website (www.nottscountyfc.co.uk) Munto Finance Limited, owned by Middle-East based businessmen, had agreed to buy the club once financial diligence checks were made.
Liverpool owners lost €48.6m
LIVERPOOL’S owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett lost €48.6million, mainly in interest payments, on the debts they took on to buy the club, accounts released yesterday reveal.
The club’s accountants have also warned that remaining uncertainty over refinancing the €400 million debt before the July 24th deadline “may cast significant doubt on the group’s and parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern”.
The figures reveal the financial success of the football club is being swallowed up by servicing the parent company’s loans. The accounts for the year ending July 2008 showed Liverpool made a €11.6 million profit but the parent company Kop Football (Holdings) Ltd lost €48.6million
Rodgers named Reading manager
BRENDAN RODGERS has been named the new Reading manager, the Championship club said yesterday. The Northern Irishman only joined fellow Championship side Watford in November.
“Once Brendan had confirmed his desire to discuss the opportunity, we were powerless to prevent him doing so,” Watford chairman Jimmy Russo said.
Gallagher called into U19 squad
THE REPUBLIC of Ireland Under-19 side kick off their Uefa Championship, elite qualifying stage today in Tongeren against Group 4 hosts Belgium and manager Seán McCaffrey has warned his team they will face a tough physical battle at the Complex Op de Keiberg.
Finn Harps goalkeeper Ciarán Gallagher has been called up to the Ireland squad after all of the 18 players came through their final training session.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND U19 SQUAD: K Thorp (Crystal Palace), C Gallagher (Finn Harps), L Oyebanjo (Histon), C O’Connor (Blackburn Rovers),G Gunning (Blackburn Rovers),C Morris (Newcastle United), D McCrory (Plymouth Argyle), R Towell (Celtic), C Hourihane (Sunderland), C Clifford (Chelsea), G Morrissey (Blackburn Rovers), C Henderson (Arsenal), A Doran (Blackburn Rovers), J Devitt (Hull City), R Murray (Ipswich Town), S Scannell (Crystal Palace),J Collins (Aston Villa), G Cunningham (Manchester City).
FIXTURES: Today – Belgium v Republic Ireland, Complex Op de Keiberg, Tongeren,8pm; Sunday – Ireland v Switzerland,Complex Op de Keiberg, Tongeren, 7pm. Wednesday – Sweden v Ireland, Sport Centrum, Tessenderio, 8pm
Wigan close in on deal to bring in manager Martinez
WIGAN owner Dave Whelan is confident a deal to bring Roberto Martinez in as manager will be concluded today.
The Premier League club were yesterday given permission to speak to the former Latics midfielder after agreeing a compensation package with Championship outfit Swansea.
Martinez, 35, was hugely popular in his six years as a player with the club from 1995-2001, when he was one of the “Three Amigos” along with Isidro Diaz and Jesus Seba.
His stock as a manager has soared over the past year after guiding Swansea to the League One title and then within two places of the Championship play-offs.
Wigan have moved quickly to secure his services after losing Steve Bruce to Sunderland,.
